118 Deep Water (2/2)

We laughed before I pursed me lips, “Wait, what do you mean take me out for a few quick credits?”

She frowned, “It was just a joke.”

I shook my hand, “I mean what do you mean by getting credits? I didn’t know Schema’s bounties gave out money.”

She shook her head, “They don’t. There’s other bounties on your head now. The empire has one on clearing the quarantine here on earth now. It’s not enough so that you’re setfor life, but it’s enough to add fuel to the flames I guess.”

I creased my eyebrows, “You’re telling me those levelers were important?”

She nodded, “Apparently so. All that practice with me and you really payed off though.”

I shrugged, “Eh, I mean kinda sorta.”

Althea pursed her lips, “What do you mean kinda sorta?”

I balanced my hands back and forth, “I guess our head to heads did teach me how to kick some ass.”

“Ohhhh really now?”

“Yes, really.”

She pointed at me, a reluctant grin spread out over her face, “You just wait till next time buster. We’ll see who’s kicking who’s ass.”

After that, we chatted for another hour about a variety of different things. None of it really mattered, but we were in that phase of the relationship where we were giddy just to be around each other. Althea’s eyelids got heavier before she fell asleep while we were talking.

I closed out my call with a small smile on my face. It was nice seeing her, if only for a while. I just wished I could have put the cover over her and nestled up to her. It would be nice.

With that weighing on my mind, I sighed before closing my obelisk. I stood up and stretched, my back popping before I rolled my shoulders. I wanted to learn how to use gravity to help me move even better.

The night passed fast, a sort of flow occurring as I trained different motions and ideas. After that, another day with Yawm passed much the same as the others. We would drink something during the morning before moving on towards his study the entire day. After I returned towards my room, Keeja would come in with some fancy dinner. I trained all night thereafter, and the process rinsed and repeated.

It was a calm, peaceful existence compared with my life since Schema took over. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was like getting a taste of some home made cooking after eating out for several weeks. It was fulfilling a craving for relaxation after the months of constant battle. The only problem was that I found my mind wandering at times.

I know that sounds weird to point out. Everyone daydreams now and then at some point. The thing is, I hadn't in months. Since getting so much willpower, I had an iron grip on my mind. Whatever I wanted, I could make happen. It wasn’t a matter of if I would do something, it was a matter of when.

For some reason, that sense of ironclad control was fading. It was slow at first, but as my lesson’s with Yawm continued, the sensation took more an more away. After about two weeks of this routine with Yawm, Yawm was agitated as well. It wasn’t because he was actually nervous or anything like that. He wanted violence when there was none.

I would catch him breathing slowly to calm himself in the middle of his writing. It felt like someone transported a bloodthirsty viking into an eternal library. He could pretend like he wanted to read, but at some point he was bound to snap. At the peak of his frustration, he pulled me back towards the top room of his ice fortress.

Once there, we stared at the lake’s medley of life for a few minutes. The different forms of life shifted with phosphorescent lights lighting them. We sat on the standard chairs of ice Yawm preferred. Yawm breathed deep, like he was calming himself down. When he finally spoke, a hint of sadness was in his voice.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask of you, but I’ve found myself stretched thin as of late. Would you mind me asking a rather blunt question?”

I shook my head, “We’re friends man. You don’t have to ask a question just to ask a question.”

I expected him to ask for a spar. He didn’t.

“It is a bit peculiar I suppose. You see, it’s a personal question I want answered.”

I just stayed quiet and let him speak. As he talked, he waved a hand like he was trying to get words out of it,

“No doubt you’ve noticed some...symptoms since you began learning the cipher in more detail. In my case, I experience bouts of untamed aggression. You’ve seen the explosive effects my anger may have, so containing these outbursts is essential for me. I was wondering what your symptoms were and how you were coping with them?”

I raised an eyebrow, “Why is that so personal?”

Yawm sighed, “Because your reaction to the cipher speaks volumes of your character as a person. Most see visions and hear voices. Eventually they lose their minds. I was wondering if you were experiencing anything similar?”

I shook my head, “Not yet. So far the only thing I’ve had to deal with is spacing out some. It’s annoying, but I just have to keep snapping at myself to get back on task.”

Yawm leaned towards me, “And you’re certain that’s all?”

I remembered the last week or so. That was the only symptom so far, so I answered,

“Yeah, that’s basically it.”

Yawm tapped his chin with a knuckle as big as a teacup,

“Curious...You’re symptoms are rather low considering your status as a warrior. Did you invest into the willpower leveling perk by chance, if you wouldn’t mind my asking?”

I nodded, “I did. My build is very endurance heavy for the most part.”

Yawm’s eyes narrowed, “That makes your mana generation all the more impressive. You’re using the way the stats feed to get the most out of them then?”

I weighed my hands back and forth, “More or less.”

Yawm clapped his hands while leaning back into his chair, “Then that explains how you’ve managed to suppress the symptoms so well. Your subconscious is working for you.”

I raised an eyebrow, “My subconscious?”

Yawm turned a hand, his palm facing me, “Your skepticism is well founded. Allow me to explain with a story.”

Yawm moved a hand over his head. The air around us sparked before an aura of green saturated the area. It compacted into Yawm’s palm before an foggy image appeared over his head. It was a sailboat coasting on a clear sea. The sky was boundless and blue. A bright sun beamed against the water below it.

Yawm pointed at the boat, “This is projection magic. It’s an excellent addition to stories you might wish to tell.”

I nodded, “It’s awesome.”

Yawm leaned back into his chair and spread out his arms, “The boat at the center of this image is you. The ocean around you is the universe that you can see. Notice how beautiful it is, how full of possibility.”

I leaned towards the image, “Yeah, it seems pretty optimistic.”

Yawm shook his head, “This is a grim imagining of our universe, I assure you.”

He pulled his arms together. As he did, beneath the water became visible.

“The cipher exposes what lies beneath the surface.”

An eye larger than our boat appeared. It shifted beneath the water, its form enormous. Other gargantuan creatures writhed near it. The density of the monsters was so high that they seemed squeezed underneath the water. If they so much as brushed against the sailboat, it would be obliterated.

Yawm’s eyes narrowed, “The world seems peaceful, but there are things hiding in plain sight. The cipher lets you see these oddities. It lets you discover your own insignificance in comparison with this wide universe we call our own.”

Yawm lowered his hands, the image dissipating,

“The Old Ones, the eldritch, even creatures we know nothing about...the cipher lets you peer behind the curtain and see them so to speak. It’s a humbling thing to peer into the universe spread bare. I liken it to staring at infinity. It breaks most minds.”

I tapped my temple, “And all my daydreaming is my mind processing that?”

Yawm rubbed his hands together, “That way of understanding will do for now. The main point is that there will be times where we both need time away from the cipher. Otherwise we will succumb to these symptoms.”

Yawm stood up form his chair, so I stood up right after,

“What are we going to do in the meantime?”

Yawm spread out his arms and pounded his fists together. It reverberated loud enough that the panels of ice around us cracked. It was the kind of sound you could feel shaking your skin and moving your hair. As the lastechoes of it faded, Yawm growled,

“Hahaha! We can fight any visitors that happen to come here. That and spar...if you’d like to.”